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Apollo ([info]apollolicious) wrote in [info]nevermore_logs,
@ 2022-02-03 23:48:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:apollo, avery duffield

WHO: Avery and Apollo
WHEN: Thursday 3rd Feb
WHERE: Avery's place
WHAT: A wedding present!
WARNINGS: TBD



Last time Apollo had been standing here, he’d been in an entirely different mood.

Although if you wanted to get pedantic about it, last time Apollo had been standing here – here being in front of Avery’s door – he hadn’t actually been standing, he’d been crouched at the lock, focusing intently on breaking and entering. Sure, the mood thing held true, but mostly, last time, he’d been busy convincing a lock to bend to his will.

This time Apollo just knocked, and then, when he heard footsteps moving toward the other side of the door, he grinned brightly at the peep hole. He didn’t consider stepping aside so Avery wouldn’t see who it was before he opened the door, because he didn’t consider for a moment that Avery might be reluctant to open said door. Avery had made a very strong impression when he dragged the coffee table aside so he had room to genuflect at Apollo’s feet, and that impression was not of someone who was going to deny Apollo entrance to his apartment.

So he looked straight through the door, and smiled.


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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-03 11:38 am UTC (link)
Someone at the door? Avery looked around from his desk chair, pulling off his headphones. He hadn't ordered anything? Maybe it was a courier for Armaan or something. Or Lyra... With a little smirk, Avery got up, wondering if his wife had decided to drop in for a sexy surprise visit. Well good timing, Armaan was out, so they could make a moderate amount of noise.

He strode across the floor, his hand on the knob as he leaned in to check the peephole as he twisted the lock- and he froze. Not Lyra. Definitely not Lyra. But Apollo would have heard him coming. He couldn't just not open the door, not now. And it had been a little while since he'd last seen the god at that party.

Carefully, Avery opened the door a small amount and looked out. "Hello," he said, a little warily.

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-03 12:24 pm UTC (link)
"Hello!" Apollo beamed even brighter to counter Avery's wary countenance, and started to step inside with a gentle push of the door simply to remind Avery that he needed to open the door wider than that for Apollo's godly shoulders to fit through. "Thought I'd drop in on my young truth-seeking friend," he said, and thrust a hefty magnum of champagne into Avery's hands. "A belated wedding present. Is your good wife home?"

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-03 12:37 pm UTC (link)
"Uh-" Avery fell back as the bottle was placed in his hands and Apollo began his invasion. The bottle was a lot bigger than the usual ones they picked up from the store, and Avery watched Apollo as he adjusted to the weight of it. "Uh no, no it's just me," he said, not clarifying that Lyra didn't actually live here. "Thanks? How did you... find out?"

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-03 01:01 pm UTC (link)
Well, that was for the best; Rosario would get really snippy if she thought he wasn't 'staying away from Lyra' when really he was here to see Avery.

"That you're married?" He looked at Avery with a slightly puzzled expression, though. Didn't everyone know? "There's quite a bit of crossover between your family and mine, these days," he pointed out. "Hey if things work out, my sister could end up being your wife's step-mother. Funny how things go, isn't it? Besides, if Erato knows something, everyone knows something. Same story with Hailey. And they both – I believe – heard it from Lyra herself."

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-04 05:44 am UTC (link)
Sister's... wife's step-mother? That was convoluted... Of course it was Hailey running her mouth, typical Hailey. He tried to remember if he knew who Erato was. The name sounded vaguely familiar. But at least it answered his question of how the whole frat knew.

Avery moved towards the kitchen counter to set the oversized bottle down. Of course Apollo went hard on the size. It was an exactly Apollo move. This bottle would require sharing though, they'd be wasted only drinking it themselves. "Okay. So... yeah, we- I don't know. It was an impulse decision," he said, not sure what to say to Apollo. He felt uncomfortable telling lies, but he didn't want to bare all either. "But it's good."

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-04 07:06 am UTC (link)
Apollo smirked at him in amusement when he said impulsive; not a mocking smirk, but one of understanding. "Hey, I get it. You see something you want, you reach out and take it, I'm with ya," he threw a wink over at Avery, thumbs looped casually through the belt loops in his designer jeans. "You've had a big winter so far, haven't you? I heard all about how you made Xander face up to the lies he'd been telling. Nice work."

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-04 11:07 am UTC (link)
It hadn't been quite like that, but Avery didn't want to correct him. He was still trying to work out how he should be reacting overall.

"I- I- thanks," he said again, even though that had been mostly Lyra's doing and he knew it and he should correct Apollo now because if he left it it'd be weird to point it out later and he'd look like a dick. Instead Avery kind of smiled and straightened his shoulders a bit like a flower in the sun. "He's always kinda been a bullshitter. Learned it from my dad." His dad who, he just now realised, went to college with "Archer's dad". "Oh shit, you knew my dad, right?"

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-04 11:26 am UTC (link)
"Sure did," Apollo said, and threw himself down on an armchair like the armchair was lucky to receive him. It was, too; Apollo was absolutely certain his jeans had cost more than this whole lounge suite. "Why, you wanna hear any stories about your dad at your age?" he asked, looking up at Avery standing there awkwardly, and beckoning him over to come and get comfortable as well.

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-04 12:28 pm UTC (link)
Avery followed the beckon because it seemed like the safest thing to do. He had to keep reminding himself that Lyra didn't like Apollo, that Apollo had busted in and strangled him and curse him. Apollo was not safe and not to be trusted. And yet... he had this charming way about him that Avery couldn't help warming to.

"I bet he was just like Xander," he said, still a bit wary and restrained, but kind of getting into this. Should he offer Apollo some leftover jello shots? Would that be polite? He and Lyra had made so many.

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-04 12:53 pm UTC (link)
"Not far off," Apollo agreed, watching the wariness slowly begin to lift off Avery, and he shifted forward to lean over the arm of the chair. "There's a lot to be said in following in a father's footsteps, standing on the shoulders of giants and all that. But there's even more to be said about carving your own path, and you've uncovered more than either of them ever did, haven't you, you tenacious little truth seeker." He smiled, with the aim of digging up Avery's pride and encouraging him to dust it off a little, losing a little more of that wariness as he did.

Just a little, mind. Just enough to loosen up a bit. Wariness kept him in line and Apollo didn't want to deal with the fallout (again) of Avery stepping out of line (Rosario would get so offended.) But Avery was a kid who'd done his research about Apollo and committed himself to finding a way to show Apollo the respect he deserved, and that had taken the kind of courage that Apollo didn't want to see die.

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-05 10:22 am UTC (link)
Weird kind of compliment, but he'd take it. "They don't care about the truth," Avery said, and he believed that. Both of them manipulated the "truth" to their own advantage, they didn't care about real answers. Avery did. It's what he'd always wanted, either ghosts, or aliens, or governmental cover-ups, or whatever. The truth would set him free.

Speaking of the truth. "So, why did you come here?" he asked. Surely it wasn't just because of the wedding. Did Apollo care about them that much?

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-05 10:37 am UTC (link)
"For that reason exactly," Apollo said, with a pleased grin that Avery had led him into the topic so neatly. "That rag you work for, your voice is wasted there. You want something better, a wider readership, juicer interviews. Here," he said, producing a card from his pocket, but he didn't stretch out his arm to pass it toward Avery; Avery would have to come to him to take it from his proffered hand. "Email Corey, he's looking for new talent."

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-05 11:49 am UTC (link)
Well that was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Avery leaned forward curiously, trying to make out the logo. "Wait, really? Are you serious? The New York Sentinel?" he asked, having no problem moving forward to take the card. "I've been trying to get an interview there but they never get back to me. This is- you're doing this for me? Why?" He was too interested in the potential here to be too reluctant to engage with Apollo. He'd just have to explain it to Lyra later.

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-05 12:25 pm UTC (link)
Apollo smiled, pleased there wasn't any stubborn desire to refuse him getting in the way. "Because this is what I do, I nurture," Apollo said with the most laid back of shrugs. Because anyone willing to get on their knees in front of him and half the frat was someone he wanted to keep an eye on. You didn't want to just let that reverence go.

And because Avery knew Rosario, and he might accept Apollo's magnanimous generosity, which might encourage Rosario to accept it, too, further down the line. She had this view of him that just— ugh, he couldn't be having with.

"You're smart. It's a smart publication. What a match, right? Get a year at the Sentinel under your belt and you'll find other places will start getting back to you about interviews, too. First step to greatness, Avery," he grinned, pushing himself forward on the chair. "You want it, don't you?"

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-05 12:46 pm UTC (link)
"Well, I mean- yeah," Avery said, forgetting to be reserved. He'd been at the magazine since he'd graduated, and moving on would be a change in direction. But then, he had just got married. That was also something of an abrupt change.

There was a slight thing starting to nag at him though. He'd wanted to move to New York on his own so he could earn everything he got himself outside of the influence of the family name, and now he was accepting influence from someone else? But it wasn't influence, it was just a name on a card. Just a contact. It wasn't a guarantee. This was completely different. Apollo was a God.

"Thank you. Yeah. Um. Do you want something to eat or drink? I have milk, or Monster, or Coke, or jello shots?

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-05 09:58 pm UTC (link)
There it was, that same swell of ambition he could see in the rest of his boys. It looked good on Avery, as good as golden hot pants, and it was hard not to be smug. Not that Apollo knew how to try not to be smug.

"You have jello shots in the house?" he asked, amused. Gods, how interesting things might have been if Avery had been one of his since freshman year. "Yeah, I'll take one, raise a shot to your future with you."

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-06 04:27 am UTC (link)
And hadn't he earned this influence himself? Through his own research and hard work? He'd put himself out there and this was his reward. Right. So it wasn't the same thing at all.

With a nod, Avery got up and went to the fridge. There were still a handful in there, a mix of lime and pineapple jello, so he got one of each for each of them and came back. "We were celebrating. We won a bit of money so we could afford it." Why did he mention the money? Like Apollo cared about winning money or affording things. He set the shots down on the coffee table and grabbed a green one for himself. "Cheers."

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-06 05:40 am UTC (link)
"Sounds like things are coming up Avery. Cheers," Apollo agreed, grabbing a pineapple and reaching across the table to clink the glass against Avery's. This was all going a lot smoother than he'd anticipated.

"Tell me, since we're sharing," he said, swirling his little finger around the edge of the shot glass and knocking it back like the jello shot pro he damn well was. "What do you want out of your life?"

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-06 09:57 am UTC (link)
Well they were getting deep pretty quick. Avery followed suit with his own shot, only having to slurp it a tiny bit. "I guess, like, a good job, kids, a cat, to know if aliens are still real?" He was only half joking about that last bit. Aliens could still be real. The existence of immortal gods didn't rule that out, not entirely. The quandary still bugged him.

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-06 10:16 am UTC (link)
"Why do you need aliens when you walk in a world with the gods?" Apollo asked, but the question was – if not quite rhetorical, then something to be mused over and answered later, once he'd really had a chance to consider what he wanted to commit his life to. Apollo winked at him and leaned over. "You want a little prophecy for your future?" he asked, and that was rhetorical because what sort of mortal didn't want to know their future? "Follow this," he said, tapping the business card, "and you're on on track for, well, most of those."

With that, he swept himself back to his feet, plucking the second shot from the table as he did. "I wouldn't keep Corey waiting," he advised. "Could have the first of your list ticked off by the weekend."

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-06 11:14 am UTC (link)
Avery jumped back to his feet too. Was Apollo going already? "I won't," he promised, clutching his empty shot glass in his hand. Clearly Apollo didn't think aliens were real. And he'd been around long enough to know, surely? But- Anyway, Avery watched Apollo, feeling apprehensive and weirdly excited. A new job! Shit!

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-06 11:35 am UTC (link)
Apollo highly enjoyed that flash of what might have even been disappointment that he was leaving. Always best to leave them wanting more, after all. And to leave before certain people he was supposed to be staying away from got home, that was perhaps a small factor in his decision to move.

"Today's been a very good day," he commented, and emptied the second shot glass into his mouth before putting his empty glass inside Avery's. "Swing by a party sometime, if you're not too busy with your new life. Don't forget about me!" And he laughed, heartily, as if anyone could.

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-08 10:15 am UTC (link)
Avery sort of laughed too, swept in by Apollo's charisma. "Yeah, maybe," he said, and for a moment his hand strayed to his throat. "Just- just tryna avoid someone currently though, but." Nice and vague about who he was avoiding. Obviously it was Xander, but a little but Apollo too...

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-08 10:49 am UTC (link)
Apollo watched the hand hover around Avery's crushed-healed throat. Oh come on, that had only lasted a moment! The way mortals gripped on to something that barely lasted longer than a blink was truly incredible. It had to be something to do with how short their lives were.

None of that dimmed his smile, though, and with three swift strides he crossed the distance toward Avery and clasped him on the shoulder. "You don't wanna live that life," he told Avery, with a shake of his head and near-brotherly affection. Not the brotherly-affection that existed between the Duffields, though; anyone could see that was tainted. He remembered how he'd come to Avery's rescue at the last party, he'd seen the fury Xander carried with him after Christmas. So no, it was not that kind of brotherly he was shooting for. Nope, this was just a piece of life advice, one man to another, only one of the men was a shining god whose name was plastered all over the world and the other... well, his name wasn't plastered anywhere, yet.

"You know that by avoiding people, you're building a cage around your life. Why would you do that to yourself?" Apollo quirked an eyebrow at him, coaxing out an answer. "All that does is make your life smaller. You don't want a small life. Do you?"

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-08 11:28 am UTC (link)
Avery felt- so fucking conflicted, honestly. When Apollo was talking to him, right in his face, it was hard to think of anything else but how golden and glowing he was, and how much Avery wanted him to like him.

"No- no I don't, but-"

But Xander, but Lyra... Things could be cool if it wasn't for other people's expectations...

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-08 11:43 am UTC (link)
"I didn't think so."

Apollo gave his shoulder an approving squeeze, and leaned back to take him all in with one slow nod. "You're gonna do great things," he decided, and as he turned, he slapped the magnum bottle sitting heavily and overlarge on the bench. "Just promise me you'll serve that chilled, alright?"

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[info]phantomtruth
2022-02-08 12:09 pm UTC (link)
"Of course," Avery said quickly, like that wasn't even a question, despite his misgivings that it would even fit in the fridge at all. He felt a slight shiver at being appraised by Apollo, and his spine straightened. He wanted to say something witty or impressive to make Apollo look at him in approval, but his mind just went blank and he could only nod like an idiot.

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[info]apollolicious
2022-02-09 02:20 am UTC (link)
Apollo liked the way Avery held himself taller in that moment; it was the same kinda look that ran rife around the boys on rush week, trying to make themselves noticed, trying to be picked. Not just the boys, either, but the same look that so many of his old boys still held, too, the ones who'd known his daddy or his granddaddy and were thrilled to reconnect with a Goldenhawk.

Like Corey Cooper; though they'd only crossed over a year back in Apollo's second time round in the frat, the man still jumped at the chance to do Archer a favour. Those connections, though decades old, never died.

"Attaboy," Apollo said, throwing Avery's straight shoulders and tied tongue a wink and a click of his own tongue like they were gifts from the gods, and let himself out, pleased with his day's work.

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